The slender neck was in the other person's hand. Su Yuanyuan was certain that if she dared to shake her head or say a single "no", her life would end right here.
However, having lived two lifetimes, Su Yuanyuan was no pushover. She had long been on guard against him. When he subdued her, the dagger in her hand was simultaneously pressed against his abdomen.
As long as he dared to make a move, she would plunge it in without mercy.
She interrogated him extremely calmly, "How do you know my identity? Do you know where this is?"
"The General Who Pacifies the Border, Su Qing, was conferred the title of Duke of Yong and his whole family moved from the northern frontier to Shengjing. On the day General Su arrived in Shengjing, I was fortunate enough to witness the faces of everyone from the General's Mansion at the city gate. Naturally, I know the young lady's identity," the man replied.
Su Yuanyuan continued,
"It seems that you sneaked into the Duke's Mansion with a purpose. You want to use the power of the Duke's Mansion to avoid your pursuers, right? If I'm not mistaken, those people chasing you outside should have already broken open the main gate of the Duke's Mansion by now and asked my father and mother to search the mansion for you."
"Whether you're caught by them or by my father and mother, you're doomed."
"Now the only one you can rely on is me. I've saved you, so I'm your savior. Logically speaking, you should repay me well. How come you're threatening me instead?"
Su Yuanyuan spoke clearly and logically, and had nothing to do with the words "stupid" and "silly".
After hearing this, the other person couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh. He released her neck and said meaningfully, "Then, my savior, how should I repay you?"
Su Yuanyuan secretly let out a sigh of relief and said to him, "You can stay here to treat your wounds. I'll also help you hide your whereabouts these few days. However..."
She held up three fingers.
"You have to promise me three things."
"Sure," the man readily agreed.
The wound on the man's body had been bleeding continuously. Dealing with her had already taken the last bit of strength from his body. After reaching a consensus with her, he sat down on her soft couch and closed his eyes wearily.
The light in the room became a bit brighter than before. Su Yuanyuan's gaze fell on his left shoulder, and she clearly saw that a large area was soaked in blood.
If his wound wasn't treated soon, he would surely die from excessive blood loss.
Su Yuanyuan stood there stupidly, not knowing what to do for a moment. The man waited for a long time but didn't hear any movement. He opened his eyes and said, "What are you standing there for? Come here."
There was a faint air of superiority in his tone.
Su Yuanyuan suddenly realized that when he said he was staying to treat his wounds, he meant for her to treat them for him?! This was just too shameless!
She was, after all, the young lady of the Duke's Mansion! Moreover, his wound was on his left shoulder. To treat it, he would have to take off his clothes. How could he, how could he...
Su Yuanyuan's face turned bright red. She clenched her fists tightly and glared angrily at him, looking extremely angry.
All her thoughts were written on her face. The man could tell at a glance and couldn't help but find it funny.
He sized up Su Yuanyuan up and down with those somewhat familiar eyes and said, "Don't worry. I'm not the least bit interested in a chubby and young girl like you."
The implication was that even if she had any improper thoughts about him, he wouldn't accept them.
Su Yuanyuan had seen herself in the mirror. She did look a bit younger, and her figure and face were a bit rounder. But being so bluntly despised still made her feel very unhappy.
Since she was unhappy, she naturally didn't want the other person to feel good either.
"Don't worry. I'm not interested in a plain - looking, arrogant man like you either! In my eyes, you're no different from the cows, horses, and sheep on the northern frontier."
Forget it. Although he was very shameless, for the sake of that cloud - patterned token, she would endure it! Maybe, just maybe, he was her benefactor. It was only right to treat a benefactor's wounds.
After saying that, she walked towards him angrily and roughly tore open his collar, quickly stripping him of his upper clothes.
The moment she saw his fair and strong body revealed in front of her, Su Yuanyuan was so frightened that she raised her hand to cover her eyes.
But then she remembered the harsh words she had just said, so she lowered her hand and said with a look of disgust, "Tsk tsk. You're not as good - looking as my father, elder brother, second brother, or third brother. I bet your skills aren't that great either. Otherwise, how could you be so seriously injured?"
After saying that, her gaze fell on his shoulder, and she immediately stopped talking in shock.
He had been injured by some unknown weapon. The wound on his left shoulder was so deep that the bone was visible. It was hideous and terrifying, and the skin around the wound was already showing signs of decay. The blood flowing from around it was also black, obviously indicating that he had been poisoned by a powerful toxin.
"This... this is..."
Seeing the fear on her face, his voice softened a bit, "This poison is called 'Heart - Eater Drum'. After being poisoned, the wound will fester, and the heartbeat will become heavier and slower, just like a drumbeat. When the toxin completely invades the heart veins, the poisoned person will die from a burst heart."
Su Yuanyuan blurted out subconsciously, "What did you do to make the other person use such a poison against you?"
After asking, she realized that she might have been too nosy.
This person was out at such a late night and being chased. He clearly wasn't a gentleman. Maybe he was actually a notorious bandit. His current situation was entirely his own fault.
"Want to know?" However, the other person raised his eyebrows and asked her back, seemingly not minding her prying into his background.
Of course Su Yuanyuan wanted to know. When he asked this, she immediately nodded vigorously.
The other person said, "Exchange with a condition, and I'll tell you."
Su Yuanyuan hesitated for a moment and then simply said, "I'll exchange."
"I'm looking for someone who may no longer be in this world," the man said.
Su Yuanyuan stared at him with big eyes. She waited for a long time but didn't hear the rest of the story. Meeting the other person's half - smiling eyes, she then belatedly realized that she had been played by him.
She exclaimed in disbelief, "That's it? How can this count? How do I know if you're lying to me?"
"Little girl, being too curious isn't a good thing," the man coughed lightly twice and said in a rough voice like gravel, "Knowing too much won't do you any good."
Su Yuanyuan was extremely angry. She wished she could punch him in the eye to make him close those annoying eyes.
Gritting her teeth, for the sake of that cloud - patterned token, Su Yuanyuan forced a change of topic and said, "How can we detoxify it?"
The man said, "First, prepare a dagger, clean gauze, and golden sore medicine."
There was always golden sore medicine in the room. Su Yuanyuan immediately rummaged through the antique shelf according to the original owner's memory and found it. There was no need to mention the dagger. She smoothly picked up the one given to her by Su Huaiyuan. As for the gauze...
There was no such thing in her room, and she couldn't tear her own clothes to bandage him. Otherwise, it would be hard to explain to Chunxiao or Xialu if they asked later.
Her gaze naturally fell on the outer robe that Wei Linlang had returned.
Cang Xuan had helped her twice at the Autumn Feast. She had originally planned to find an opportunity to repay this kindness later. But after learning the reason why the Duke of Yong's Mansion came to Shengjing, the other person's face became repulsive, and all those acts of helping her became ulterior motives. This outer robe was now useless.
It was just right to use it to bandage that person.
She quickly stepped forward, grabbed the outer robe that had once warmed her, raised the dagger in her hand, and without changing her expression, mercilessly cut it, tearing the good robe into several small strips.
"Cough, cough, cough!" A choking cough came from behind her.